DIY "classic" 8x10 field camera

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I was a hobby photographer since the 80s and after a long break I had started to take analog pictures again. Large format photography was still too expensive for me in the 90s, but always a dream. Last year I started again with the excuse that my daughter wanted to take analog pictures. So I took out the old SLR and 6x6 cameras and the enlargers and bought me an old 4x5 large format camera (WISTA 45N). After some time of very good experiences with 4x5 I was curious about the 8x10 format. Contrary to the used 4x5 cameras they were quite expensive on eBay. The modern crwodfunding and kit versions were efficient and well thought out, but too "pale" for my taste. That's when I missed the personality of the camera. So I decided to build one after the classic field cameras models myself. The goal was a camera that allows all movements, but does not use alternative components like drawer guides or threaded rods. I wanted something à la Shenhao, Tachihara, Deardorff etc. With lots of shiny parts.
Since I have a well equipped workshop (I also build guitars) I started to plan. First I bought some film holders and a lens on eBay. I decided to improvise and didn't make a construction drawing, but only rough geometric calculations so that at least the worst mistakes could be avoided. Then I looked for as many pictures as possible and started to combine elements of some cameras.
I decided to use birch and spruce plywood boards as well as beech wood strips. Not as noble as cherry etc. As a hobby guitar maker I have rosewood and maple in stock, but it was a pity to use these and the pieces I use for the guitar are too big or too small. That would have given too much waste. I painted the wooden parts with wood glaze, smoothed them with steel wool, waxed and polished them.
The metal parts were cut from aluminium profiles (not anodized), partly milled and polished. Different knurled nuts (m6, m6 and m4) I found in the hardware store, so at least this one did not have to be turned.
I was able to make a bellows myself (tedious job), but it was not flexible enough (too thick material used), so I will use it for the 8x10 enlarger (which I still have to build). So I bought a custom made bellows on Aliexpress. This one is very smooth, even if not cheap.
The camera is with 33cm width a bit bigger than the models I had looked at. That's because in the beginning I made the self-made bellows 1.5-2cm wider than usual. That resulted in the width of the frame. Difficulties to find a suitable gear rack for the micro-focusing gave me the idea to use a GT2 belt (often used in 3D printers) and appropriate pulleys. This was only partly a good idea: I kept the system, but since I glued the belt to the middle wooden frame, but the pulleys didn't grip well enough. These are designed so that the belt wraps around them. Therefore, when focusing, a tooth "jumps" from time to time. Maybe I will use a m0.5 rack or a closed belt. But then the middle slide cannot move in both directions equally. The font plate has arbitrary mass (18.5 cm) and is rather a bit big. For the vertical shift and tilt I tried to install the knurled nuts for this so that both are on the same axis.
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The search field is made of ordinary 2mm glass with glued opal foil. It is not very bright, so I will make a new one with grinding powder. As a mounting for the tripod I made two aluminium discs with ¼" thread.
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From my fund of material for building guitars and amplifiers I had some leather grips which seemed to be very suitable.
I made a first test photo and everything is lightproof. So far so good.
I didn't take too many photos of the construction phase, but I hope someone finds them interesting.
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I will come back when the 8x10 enlarger is built.

Thanks for posting this nicely executed crafting, it is a good reference to keep in mind by anyone wanting to do something in that way.

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Originally Posted by elgatosuizo

I will come back when the 8x10 enlarger is built.

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In that case, you may consider upgrading a 5x7" enlarger with a DIY 8x10" conversion, in particular departing fron a Durst 138S would provide a solid mechanic base. While it can be done from scratch, departing from a solid mechanic platform may have an advantage, for a 8x10" enlarger you require a lot of clearance, the 138 allows to lower the table to the ground if necessary. I suggest that because a 8x10" enlarger also requires a refined alignment and easy handling, using a preexisting platform may allow more dedication to what's important in the enlarger's head, well... just telling the path we found good for us in a similar project.

The 138S we are to convert to 8x10" came from Switzerland, Geneve :) . It had been serving for many decades at Geneva School of Art and Design, IIRC.


An alternative may be an horizontal 8x10"...

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Originally Posted by Pere Casals

Thanks for posting this nicely executed crafting, it is a good reference to keep in mind by anyone wanting to do something in that way.




In that case, you may consider upgrading a 5x7" enlarger with a DIY 8x10" conversion, in particular departing fron a Durst 138S would provide a solid mechanic base. While it can be done from scratch, departing from a solid mechanic platform may have an advantage, for a 8x10" enlarger you require a lot of clearance, the 138 allows to lower the table to the ground if necessary. I suggest that because a 8x10" enlarger also requires a refined alignment and easy handling, using a preexisting platform may allow more dedication to what's important in the enlarger's head, well... just telling the path we found good for us in a similar project.

The 138S we are to convert to 8x10" came from Switzerland, Geneve :) . It had been serving for many decades at Geneva School of Art and Design, IIRC.


An alternative may be an horizontal 8x10"...

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I have already build an 4x5 enlarger (see my post here https://www.largeformatphotography.i...D-light-source). I will use the same pole and table and change the head. It's quiet easy and fast to disassemble an put away. There are actually no existing enlargers that have this feature that is a basic need for my small darkroom (it's a bathroom that sometimes I have to clear within minutes from all my gear). The 138S can be disassembled as well, but mine is in my opinion a much "faster" design. I am aware of the bigger size with 8x10, but I have almost all material ready so I give it a try. I use 12mm steel rods as linear guides. These are massive ans steady and preserve any alignement

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Originally Posted by elgatosuizo

but mine is in my opinion a much "faster" design.

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Sorry if I insist too much, only saying that the 8x10 conversion from a 138 is straight with nothing to modify from the basic mechanics.


By only removing 4 bolts in the 138 you remove illumination and you have a clean platform, you only need a pyramid trunk to expand to 8x10, think that a 8x10" should be quite more robust than a 4x5, then the 138 provides spring suspension of the table and of the head, making the enlarger's operation quite agile and refined, anyway see how direct is a 8x10" diffuser conversion for the 138:


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https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread...o-8x10.163251/


The drawback is that the suspension systems of the 138 can be a bit clogged from lack of lubrication, but this is easily fixed.

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Originally Posted by Pere Casals

With only removing 4 bolts in the 138 you remove illumination and you have a clean platform, you only need a pyramid trunk to expand to 8x10, think that a 8x10" should be quite more robust than a 4x5, then the 138 provides spring suspension of the table and of the head, making operation quite agile and refined, anyway see how direct is a 8x10" diffuser conversion for the 138:


Attachment 204705

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I see. I'm sure it works well... if I had a 138 I would consider it. But the only 138 I see starts at 700€ plus several 100€ shipping on eBay. Out of my budget.

Beautiful camera. I'm both impressed, and envious. :)

Great job!

Absolutely sensational work, well done you

regards

Andrew

God damn! Sorry, for the religious folks. But dang, that's good work!

Impressive.


Kent in SD

Very impressive work.

Certainly do make your own ground glass. If you can do all that, you'll find grinding a groundglass very easy (just takes some 600 grit silicon carbide and about an hour).

I prefer aluminum oxide, as it leads to less chips, although it'll grind slower than silicon carbide.

Very well made camera. Thanks for sharing.

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Amazing work!

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Originally Posted by reddesert

Very impressive work.

Certainly do make your own ground glass. If you can do all that, you'll find grinding a groundglass very easy (just takes some 600 grit silicon carbide and about an hour).

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I have now made such a ground glass and I am quite satisfied. The most difficult thing was to find the grit silicon carbide around here. I didn't find any 600s, only 400s. The new ground glass is not much brighter than the solution with the foil, but now I can see what I am focusing on. What is nice. With the foil it was a blurry matter.

Very well done and congratulations!

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Originally Posted by elgatosuizo

The new ground glass is not much brighter than the solution with the foil, but now I can see what I am focusing on. What is nice. With the foil it was a blurry matter.

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Such a beautiful camera deserved this GG, of course

Looks fantastic! Congratulations!

Awesome camera!

So beautiful and well executed! So refreshingly classic - with a couple of nice personal touches (like the ground glass frame lifting plate) which do not detract from this in the least. But as a guitar maker...was it tempting to add a flourish - like a mother of pearl inlay? (glad you did not...but I just had to ask!)

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Originally Posted by John Layton

So beautiful and well executed! So refreshingly classic - with a couple of nice personal touches (like the ground glass frame lifting plate) which do not detract from this in the least. But as a guitar maker...was it tempting to add a flourish - like a mother of pearl inlay? (glad you did not...but I just had to ask!)

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I thank you (and everyone else) for the compliments. This not only helps my ego, but it is always a confirmation that I am on the right track. Well, yes: mother of pearl would be a bit too much of a good thing, but almost all wood screws are from guitar building (pickguard and backplate screws) and the handle is from a guitar tube amp (I build those too, see it at www.strange-guitars.com).

Nothing but praise from me!

I recall the problem of having a good source of prime Wood, but baulking at the problem of excessive waste!

I cannot stand to keep this transgression to myself any longer...that years ago - I was gifted a plank (appx. 4 feet X 1 foot X 3 inches) of instrument-grade Brazilian rosewood, which had been sitting in a shop for over half a century (so was "pre-embargo") and it was perfect! So...what did I do with this? I proceeded to have it resawn, after which I used it to build a rather crude 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 "miniature" view camera (ouch!).

Furthermore, I then used this small camera as the basis for an article on view camera design and construction (published by View Camera magazine back in the early aughts) and pretended that it was a 4x5 - after my brilliant then young son cleverly suggested that he use his then-small hands to make the camera look bigger!

Shortly after this...Steve Simmons asked me to make a presentation, based on my article, at the first View Camera conference in Albuquerque in 2002 - which went OK, until I suddenly blurted out my transgression...at which point Steve became mildly (but visibly) pissed!

And now I feel terrible all over again...to know that the OP, who obviously knows his wood, chose wisely by avoiding wood which would be better suited to fine stringed instruments - while still creating a camera which is, far and above, superior in every way to my own, rather crude creation!

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Originally Posted by John Layton

I cannot stand to keep this transgression to myself any longer...that years ago - I was gifted a plank (appx. 4 feet X 1 foot X 3 inches) of instrument-grade Brazilian rosewood, which had been sitting in a shop for over half a century (so was "pre-embargo") and it was perfect! So...what did I do with this? I proceeded to have it resawn, after which I used it to build a rather crude 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 "miniature" view camera (ouch!).

Furthermore, I then used this small camera as the basis for an article on view camera design and construction (published by View Camera magazine back in the early aughts) and pretended that it was a 4x5 - after my brilliant then young son cleverly suggested that he use his then-small hands to make the camera look bigger!

Shortly after this...Steve Simmons asked me to make a presentation, based on my article, at the first View Camera conference in Albuquerque in 2002 - which went OK, until I suddenly blurted out my transgression...at which point Steve became mildly (but visibly) pissed!

And now I feel terrible all over again...to know that the OP, who obviously knows his wood, chose wisely by avoiding wood which would be better suited to fine stringed instruments - while still creating a camera which is, far and above, superior in every way to my own, rather crude creation!

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Hard tropical wood can make sense. It is less prone to scratches and dents. I used spruce for the body and beech or birch would have been better. Beech is not really available in large planks because of its tendency to "work" further. Even among electric guitar builders there are pointless discussions about wood properties. Personally, I think it is more of an aesthetic matter here as well.


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Now I have finally finished my 8x10 enlarger. I used 12mm steel rods and a trapezoid thread for focusing. The bellows is the failed construction I had planned for the camera (it was too stiff). As lens I took a Schneider 240mm G-Claron. The column can seem quite unstable and is quite insensitive to vibrations, but I had no other choice. The reason for this is that the enlarger has to be taken down and stowed away within minutes. So I had to make compromises in the construction. I just wait a little with every touch.
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As a light source I use the WS2812b LED, which is well known to me by now. 384 LED are on 3 modules and a 20A 5V power supply provides the power supply. This results in a precise light control. As control unit I use an intermediate model of my LED color and multi contrast control. This has also proved to be good and I use it in different enlargers. I said goodbye to Tungsten & Co. completely. And also to multi contrast or color heads. I don't need all of them anymore, because my LED controls are much more powerful and have a wider range of functions.
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I have developed a third version of the controller, but it is in evaluation for possible commercialization. Eventually I will use this new controller also here, because it is compatible with the LEDs. Since the prototypes of the new ones are trickier to build (more complicated membrane keyboards) and both already built ones are externally tested, I first built this simpler one quickly.

I had been going through your enlarger thread thinking "this is kinda cool," without realizing you had also built this beautiful camera, seriously, that camera is gorgeous! Is there anything you can't build?! :)

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Originally Posted by Ethan

I had been going through your enlarger thread thinking "this is kinda cool," without realizing you had also built this beautiful camera, seriously, that camera is gorgeous! Is there anything you can't build?! :)

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Oh, well. Better don't ask my wife what I have already promised to build or repair.


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